Using entirely the medium of her adopted language, Nadia Dobrianska, a Ukrainian refugee studying Irish history, has given an intensely personal account of how the conflict in Ukraine has upended the lives of Ukrainians.
Speaking alongside the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Catherine Connolly, Ms Dobrianska, a doctoral student in Irish history in University College London, outlined her background in Ukraine and how she became interested in the Irish language.
In the lecture, attended by the deputy head of mission from the Ukrainian Embassy, Mr. Dmytro Shchedrin, among others, Ms Dobrianska also spoke about her life and work with the human rights centre, ZMINA, in Kyiv, where she worked until the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
In particular, Ms Dobrianska described the plight of people abducted by the Russian army in occupied territories, the reasons behind such abductions and their possible fate. She argued that Ukraine needs help from other countries to ensure Russia releases captives and that justice can be attained for these people.